Collins Schools

Books Like Us: Representing working-class realities in children’s books

Books Like Us: Representing working-class realities in children’s books

I’ve recently been working with some primary-age kids in Halifax and Wakefield on creative writing projects. I was born nearby in Doncaster.  Whilst I was browsing the phonics texts in one of the schools, it struck me that our particular...

6 min

Artificial Intelligence and the Sociological Imagination

Artificial Intelligence and the Sociological Imagination

AI is now our go-to resource, whether for information, email construction, or even friendship. Therefore, sociology is imperative to navigate both the intended and unintended consequences of this digital revolution and to give us the tools...

5 min

How reading together can help school starters

How reading together can help school starters

Many of us may have the idea that ‘school readiness’ means that a child has been taught skills such as getting dressed,...

3 min

Why reading, and reading about history, is important

Why reading, and reading about history, is important

2026 is the Year of Reading; something we should celebrate and embrace. Most people, after all, have at least an inkling of an idea that reading is good for us, and that it is something we should encourage young people...

4 min

Introducing Story Talk

Introducing Story Talk

In 2001, newly returned from Zimbabwe with a one-year-old in tow I began a job that would challenge everything I knew about teaching. <span class="NormalTextRun...

6 min

How to be outstanding in your field(work)

How to be outstanding in your field(work)

Fieldwork is a fundamental part of the discipline of geography: an opportunity to develop skills, discover new knowledge, collect important data for GCSE or A Level, and put the models learned in the classroom to the test.

5 min

Visibility of disabilities in children's books

Visibility of disabilities in children's books

By Sophie Kamlish  Growing up I clung to the characters in books I could identify with; Sophie from ‘The Sophie Stories’ by Dick King Smith (same name, brown hair, likes animals), Susan from Jacqueline Wilson’s Candyfloss...

4 min

Why Read On is perfect for upper KS2 reading

Why Read On is perfect for upper KS2 reading

Whole class reading is a time for teaching the skills of reading, such as prediction, inference, and retrieval. It is also a time where the class comes together to share a book. In these shared <a...

5 min

Why geography is uniquely placed to help pupils think about the future

Why geography is uniquely placed to help pupils think about the future

The series editor of Collins Discover Geography writes about why geography is uniquely placed to help pupils think about the future.

4 min

Our Power, Our Planet: Earth Day and building a geography of hope

Our Power, Our Planet: Earth Day and building a geography of hope

By Dr Rebecca Kitchen What is Earth Day and why does it matter? April 22nd is Earth Day. It is an annual opportunity to reflect on the environmental issues affecting the planet and to take part in activities which...

4 min

The Role of Wordless Picture Books in Early Years

The Role of Wordless Picture Books in Early Years

Picture books are often a child’s earliest introduction to storytelling, their first experience of accessing worlds different to their own, of exploring imagination.

4 min

Cultivating Essential Evaluation Skills for Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper and Beyond

Cultivating Essential Evaluation Skills for Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper and Beyond

In an age of constant information flow, especially through social media, online news and AI generated content, students need to develop the ability not only to locate information but to judge its quality. For teachers of the Cambridge International...

5 min